New York will offer “one-time payments of up to $15,600 to undocumented immigrants who lost work during the pandemic,” according to reports.
With a price tag of $2.1 billion, “The fund, which could provide payments to hundreds of thousands of people excluded from other pandemic relief, ignited a battle among state lawmakers before it was approved this week,” according to The New York Times.
“When the coronavirus arrived in New York City a year ago, it hit enclaves of undocumented immigrants with a fury, killing thousands and wiping out the service and construction jobs that kept many families afloat,” the New York Times report began. “Lifelines like unemployment insurance and federal stimulus checks were out of reach because undocumented people are ineligible for most government aid. Instead, they have relied on food pantries, lenient landlords and loans from friends.”
“But after a sweeping move by lawmakers this week,” the report continued, “New York will now offer one-time payments of up to $15,600 to undocumented immigrants who lost work during the pandemic. The effort — a $2.1 billion fund in the state budget — is by far the biggest of its kind in the country and a sign of the state’s shift toward policies championed by progressive Democrats.”
The lead proponent of the policy, New York state Sen. Jessica Ramos, said “I’ve met neighbors who have not been able to pay rent, or put food on the table, or been able to provide their children with a laptop when a public school has not been able to provide one.”
“The excluded workers fund, part of the state’s new $212 billion budget deal that was reached on Tuesday, was one of the most contentious points of debate during negotiations, which dragged on past the April 1 deadline,” according to The New York Times.
This giveaway for illegal immigrants is far larger than California’s 2020 “cash assistance policy,” which spent $75 million providing “undocumented immigrants” with a one-time payment of $500.
“Undocumented workers could receive up to $15,600, the equivalent of $300 per week for the last year, if they can verify that they were state residents, ineligible for federal unemployment benefits and lost income as a result of the pandemic,” The New York Times added.
Republicans slammed the decision to provide illegal immigrants with any funding at all, let alone far more than legal residents received through stimulus payments
Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-TN) tweeted, “It matters who governs.”
It matters who governs. https://t.co/3W8KBhXe5i
— Bill Hagerty (@BillHagertyTN) April 8, 2021
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) also reacted on Twitter, writing, “Why are taxes high in New York? So the government can pay illegal immigrants up to $15,600. In New York, it pays to break the law.”
Why are taxes high in New York?
So the government can pay illegal immigrants up to $15,600.
In New York, it pays to break the law. https://t.co/0BMLbxVQMm
— Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) April 8, 2021
Jason Rantz added, “You can’t make this up.”
You can’t make this up. https://t.co/NiLt5e4rN9
— Jason Rantz on KTTH Radio (@jasonrantz) April 8, 2021